SEPULTURA

Ah, Brazil. Dangerous and beautiful. Where the bikinis are low-cut and the crime rates are high. I, personally, choose to focus on the positive. Brazil, you have given us Piedra Azul, Caetano Veloso, and Sepultura. For this I thank you.

Piedra Azul

Beneath the Remains is certainly equal to Slayer's magnum opus Reign in Blood in terms of intensity and pure, unadulterated riffage. This is one of those albums that I listen to over and over again--one of those albums that stands out in the vast, churning red sea that is Thrash Metal. It's one of those albums that makes me want to learn how to play it from beginning to end. And Oh, I will succeed. Ever wonder what a motorcycle made out of dead robots would sound like? Well, take a listen brothers and sisters. This thing was, and is, way ahead of its time.

FLYING LOTUS: IMAGERY

These music videos are (pretty much EXACTLY) what I see in my head when I throw some Lotus on the headphones. They are beautiful and pretty perfect, and very touching to me because I grew up with the films that this video samples. They--and Flying Lotus' album, Los Angeles--are dear to me because, although you would find all of the films here in the Sci-Fi section of your local Blockbuster or whatever, they capture the very things that make science fiction as a genre so compelling.

I like to think that I didn't get into science fiction when I was a kid as a way to withdraw from social interaction, or some kind of coping mechanism for being maladjusted and weird. I never pretended Princess Leia or the "hot" Borg chick from "Star Trek: Voyager" was my girlfriend. I wanted to be a Jedi because they were powerful but enlightened. They were in touch with the universe. The space explorers in these films touched on a deep well of desire in me to get to know the space we are floating around in, to accept it as part of myself and try to bathe in its complexity, since it is my complexity too. Space and the future--and really everything--in these movies are psychedelic, and not in a cheesy tie-dye way, but in a way of truly altering one's mind that results in broader, more realistic knowing.

Enjoy this shit:

http://vimeo.com/3785598

Things I Am Thankful For

There was a time, when I was very, very young, When Metallica Ruled. Not only were they good, they were the best--arguably the asskickingest band in the world. The Metallica that still exists, that still tours with a totally badass opening band (The Sword--get some.), is and is not the same Metalica...but their latest incarnation is a different animal entirely. 

What can we begrudge a long-time hard rocking band the end of their magic? I guess that depends a lot on your temperament. Metallica have created at least three of my all time favorite albums, but that doesn't mean I have to like their new shit. It's the complexity of music that makes it so awesome, people. Right? 

But, since I owe so much to Metallica, I don't want to disrespect in the name of my own vanity. For realz. 

Metallica has been doing a few very awesome, kinda-music related things lately that I want to acknowledge. I'd like my appreciation to ooze out into their havoc-wrought realm. 

First: Metallica is a pretty powerful band. In fact, it has such a pull on the heartstrings of Hessians 'round the globe that it can, as a group, ask a young face-melting band from Texas to join them, and Boom: you're opening for Metallica. I mean, these guys aren't too much older than I am. That dude they're sitting next to at the bar, that dude they may or may not be hurling on, that dude is KIRK HAMMETT. And so when The Sword played in DC, I happened to pee next to that dude, and as we were actively peeing, we shared a few words of rejoicing over the solo to "One". That's right. In any case, The Sword could not refuse. Who are you to refuse The Sword? 

Second: Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield are regular voice actors on the Adult Swim cartoon Metalocalypse. First of all, this is one of the best shows on television (although I haven't actually seen it on TV in a while...does anyone know if this got picked up again??). The comedy is perfect, and the songs absolutely kick ass. I'm endlessly impressed with this show every time I see it. These two usually contribute voices for Dethklok's goofy/totally insane fanbase. Even if you hated Death Magnetic, you can appreciate these guys' acting talent. I'm not kidding.